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I have fond memories of my teenage years sat reading Point Horror books. I think that teens have a passion for horror, maybe because of the emotional and hormonal changes making them want an adrenaline rush. Horror is also grown up, something you’ve waited for through your childhood to access.

Reaper is firmly in that tradition. Gregory’s parents are going out in Halloween and leaving him in charge of his little sister Immy. They have always hated the spooky basement but during a game of hide and seek they end up down there.

A strange candle is burning and a monster appears. Greg tries to fight it off but is unable to prevent his sister being snatched. No one believes him but he investigates and finds other children have disappeared. Can he prevent it happening again…

This is a novella so only take about an hour for an adult to read. It is aimed at young adults and although I don’t count as that anymore, it was a good read as a short story.

Jonathan Pongratz understands the things that are important to teens so his characterisation of Gregory is realistic. I could really feel his frustration at his annoying little sister as well as his distress at her disappearance (my own little sister drives me nuts but I love her to bits, and we’re in our 30s!)

The plot covers the nightmare of missing children so Greg’s emotion at the loss of his sister leaves an emotional impact on parent readers.

The horror characters are creepy and grotesque, although as an adult reader I wanted more explanation and back story which is hinted at but not fully developed.

I would estimate that this horror story is suitable for ages 13+. My 9 year old would be able to read it but would get nightmares! As a teen I would certainly have picked this off the shelf and am so pleased I got to re-live my youth by reading it now!

Who doesn’t love a good Boogeyman story? Well, I have a creepy little novella to share that will make you want to check your closet before bed!

Read on for more details about Reaper by Jonathan Pongratz, and a chance to win a signed copy of your own!

Reaper: A Horror Novella

Publication Date: April 19th, 2019

Genre: YA Horror/ Novella

THE BOOGEYMAN IS REAL

Gregory and his little sister Imogen love spending Halloween with their parents. But this year is different. If he proves he can take care of Imogen all by himself, he’ll finally have the allowance he’s dreamed of.

That was before the basement door opened on its own. Before the strange door appeared in the basement and Imogen was taken from him by the monster.

Now everyone in town is blaming him for her disappearance, but no one is listening to his story. Where did the door come from? What was that creature? And most of all, can he find his sister before it’s too late, or will he bury his memories of her along with his parents?

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Excerpt

Call me a scaredy cat all you want, but there was always something about the basement that I didn’t like. It always made me feel like I was being watched, like there was some

thing in the shadows just waiting for me to make a wrong move. Even now, the frigid air crept over me, creating more goosebumps on my arms and legs. I quickened my strides up the stairs, Imogen dragging behind.

We were halfway up the stairs when the knocks stopped. For a moment, I stopped my climb. The house was eerily quiet, and for reasons I can’t explain I felt a sudden urge to hurry back upstairs. I charged forward, trying to pull Immy along with me, but she resisted.

“Too fast!” she whined.

“If you hurry, we can play dress up sooner, now come on!” I yanked on Immy’s arm, practically lifting her into the air. Seven steps. Just seven more steps and we could look back on this night and laugh it off. Seven, six, five. Almost there.

I was just three steps away from the door when I leaped for the landing. I’ll never forget that jump. Time seemed to stand still, as if those cold icy fingers in the air had somehow found a way to slow time down. I remember that I had a smile on my face, a smile that disappeared when the door slammed shut in my face.

Available on Amazon and at Barnes & Nobel

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For your chance to win a signed copy of Reaper (North America), or a digital copy (International), click on the link below!

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August 26^th

Reads & Reels (Review) http://readsandreels.com

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About the Author

Jonathan Pongratz is a writer and author of captivating horror, urban fantasy, and paranormal stories. When he’s not writing, he’s busy being a bookworm, video game junkie, and karaoke vocalist. A former resident of Dallas, he currently resides in Kansas City with his halloween cat Ajax. By day he works magic in finance, by night he creates dark and mesmerizing worlds.

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Iris Locke is desperate to get out of the shadow of her high ranking but retired police officer father. She wants to join the murder team in the city but due to a collapsed case, she is relegated to the counrtyside, working at her father’s old station.

Mother of 2, Anna is found dead: shot and then burned with her children in a horrific case for the team. She had always lived with the guilt of her little sister going missing, presumed murdered by her mother as a result of postnatal depression and Jack Locke was the investigating officer.

Could there be a connection between her murder and the disappearance of her baby sister 30 years ago? Iris thinks so but the case files are missing…

The police team are a mixed bunch and we find out some personal details about them which draw us in and make us sypatise even with the ones that are not particularly easy to like. Grady has a mystery in his past. Slattery has a very unhappy home life. Iris is trying to find a team where she can settle and make a name for herself, prove that she isn’t relying on her father’s reputation to further her career.

The crimes are unpleasant but there is no graphic detail of the injuries or forensic information: the focus is upon the investigation and the team. We see interview strategies and methodical examination of facts as well as gut instinct.

There are personality clashes and the power play at work throughout the book. The unfairness that Iris is judged by her father’s career inspires her determination to prove herself worthy of being in the team on her own merit, and we as readers are willing her to succeed.

This is a really good police procedure novel and there is good character development of the police officers. The pace of the book is reasonably fast whilst also allowing enough time to get to know the main characters.

The final quarter of the book takes the investigation along a way I never expected. I see from the author’s note at the end that there will be a sequel and I can’t wait!

SILENT NIGHT 

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‘She reached into the pram and placed her hands on the cotton blanket. It was still warm. But her smiling, new baby sister, with her wide blue-grey eyes, was gone…’

Twenty five years later, three bodies are found at a ramshackle cottage in the Irish countryside, and Detective Iris Locke is sick to her stomach. The victims are Anna Crowe and her two young children.

Iris has only recently joined the Limerick Murder Squad. Against her father’s advice, she’s working the narrow lanes and green hills of her childhood. Iris still remembers Anna, who was just a small girl when her baby sister was snatched, never to be seen again. It was the one case Iris’ own father never solved, and Iris can’t help but wonder if the two crimes are connected.

She’ll stop at nothing to find Anna justice, but a fire has destroyed almost all the physical evidence, and Limerick is the same small town she remembers: everybody protects their neighbours, and Iris has been away for too long.

Can Iris unpick the lies beneath the surface of her pretty hometown, and catch the most twisted individual of her career, when reopening the old case means reopening old wounds for her team, the rest of the community, and her own father?

Fans of Patricia Gibney, Angela Marsons and L.J. Ross won’t want to miss this – the first book in a gripping and unputdownable new crime series.

About the author

Geraldine Hogan was born in Ireland. She gained an Honors Degree in English Literature and Psychology from Dublin City University and a Postgraduate Degree in Training and Management from University College, Galway. She is an Irish award-winning and bestselling author of four contemporary fiction novels under the pen name Faith Hogan.
Silent Night is her first crime novel, her second is due out in December 2019.
She is currently working on her next novel. She lives in the west of Ireland with her husband, four children and a very busy Labrador named Penny. She’s a writer, reader, enthusiastic dog walker and reluctant jogger – except of course when it is raining!

You can find out more about Geraldine here:
www.Facebook/GeraldineHoganAuthor.com
Twitter @gerhogan
https://www.instagram.com/faithhoganauthor/